restaurant, so i truly support this, and i commend you for bringing it up. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> hello. i'm matthew johnson. i live and also work and play in the castro. i moved here from oklahoma six years ago and the nudists and this is great and wonderful. however they were meandering about and now they're there. unfortunately with the addition of park lit it's a show case for exhibitionists behavior. the one day they actually went out there to enjoy my lunch i saw a gentleman came out fully dressed, proceeded to take his clothes off and put on a cock ring and started smoking. what is interesting to me when i went back to work someone said

"you know that smoking is illegal in the parklet" and wait this was a man fully dressed and take off his clothes and put on the cock ring and smoking. he's just drawing attention to himself. i of nude. i of to a nude beach. i have been to several places, but i don't think it's acceptable at our streets. thank you. i support this legislation. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> hello. my name is pauline chiltion. i lived here all my life and almost 60 years and resident of district eight. my family moved in in the 20's and still there. i am in support of this legislation. i don't feel it's necessary to have nudists in one of our main

intersections and i feel they are taking advantage of the castro and the city's well known liberality. having grown -- one of my family's first house was up market street from the castro so i am very familiar with the neighborhood. that intersection is two blocks away from the childrens' library, two blocks away from the eureka valley recreation center with the lovely play ground for children. it is three blocks away from two elementary schools. it is on the intersection of a streetcar line, a bus line, other means of public transportation that children ride everyday, and i think we're giving a message to the world and to the city that we really don't care to have families or children in the castro, and i feel this is very

wrong. i would like the kids to be able to come to the castro theater and do a sing along little mermaid and the sing along sound of music and enjoy the castro just like the rest of us. thank you very much. >> thank you. next speaker. >> hello. i am wi at. and i am opposed to the ban on public nudity. public nudity in no way harms children. whether or not a business is affected by nudity depends on the effectiveness of advertisement, the quality of their service and the morals of the customers, not the nudists themselves. i have spoken to many about the issue and the objection i hear more than any other "i don't want to see that" and more than a few times "well, if he cant old and fat i wouldn't find seeing him naked". this is clearly an issue of appearances but if i don't like

what someone is wearing should they be expected to take their clothes off. just as scott wiener pushes out the lgbt youth because they have no where to stay and this is about rich people who own their homes and don't want to see less than hot naked people and kids in the neighborhood. the superficial desires of the rich shouldn't how the weigh the minorities wearing clothing and big houses is like that. no nude or homeless person has ever bothered me and if a nude or homeless person cause gz trouble punish them for what they have done. this is attempt to legalize bigging on tree and if they don't want to conform they

can wear clothes. we should all have the opportunity to chose what we wear and when and when we wear it. i was born nude and public nudity is a civil right. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> hi. i am tommy. i have lived in the castro for 21 years. i have been a activist for years and 61 years old and i mention that because i remember a time when there were controversies about gay men and drag queens gathering in public spaces because people were offended by gay men who were drag queens in public spaces, offended and some of the things that are said here it was said about us and i was one those were offended by. they were offended by the sight of me in

woman's clothing so pardon me for not feeling sympathetic and i was the object of that when i came out and also in san francisco i remember a time when we tried to set up shelters for homeless youth in the castro and i was involved with that and people at the meetings said the same thing. they were offended by homeless queer youth. business people said it was driving away business that our youth was homeless and no one was doing anything because they had no where to go. these are the same arguments. this really bothered me and someone that has given 42 years of my life to the community and finally i want to remind everybody that bevin dufty, the former supervisor in

my district, had no problem with his daughter hanging out with the naked man and he was quoted as saying that he had a harder time explaining war than nudity. think about that. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> and just to note i have read all the cards. if you haven't been called whether or not you filled out a card and want to speak you can just line up. go ahead. >> i am john gilmore. i live in the hate ashbury in district five. >> >> i am surprised not to see my own supervisor here. i oppose the ban and i think it's far too broad to actually deal with the problem. if there is a problem with small number of people being nude or exhibitionists in the castro deal with something more targeted, but there is

nudity all over the city. i first noticed the issue when our former city district attorney pamma harris refused to prosecute someone arrested at fisherman's wharf for doing nude yoga for peace. she said there is no sexual content, no crime and no indecency and let him go. now you're going to ban that at the wharf? that is not a permitted event. i cam from the haight ashbury and there was nudity throughout history. you're going to ban that because a couple of guys are running around pantless in the castro. think about this. yeah. we also have a nude beach in san francisco at baker beach. are you going to wipe that off the

map too? surely we can do something a little more targeted if there is really a problem. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> i would say good morning and it's going on three hours i waited to speak to you and i resent coming here to challenge my supervisor, scott wiener, on either issue that is disvicive in the community because there are no meetings held and no ability to have a compromise in district eight. the quick trigger approach is always more legislation. we saw it no cities in the plaza. there is strong legislation written. all of the community advocates and members of the organization has to come down and meet with you and sign petitions just so you compromise in the legislation. this is a lesson for both supervisor here. i am sorry that christina olague is not

here because she is bisexual. and i am a gay man and man with aids and i resent it's two straight people here and not from the cast ro. i have been in the castro for 25 years and constantly when legislation comes up we go to the various associations, the same people are here and i like them personally. i disagree with them politically. there are hundreds of thousands of residents not part of these groups. you are responsible to everybody. have a dam community meeting. we just had the flag on city property and merchants and never half mask or the leather or bear flag up because we can't come to i compromise. we had the bunches taken out of the park because we can't deal with the homeless issue because a few vocal people rally and legislation changes and changes

the fabric of our neighborhood. i work there helping the owner. we put things on the roof three years ago. no one complained. the nudists walk by the cafe and best in the area -- [inaudible] >> thank you. thank you. next speaker. [applause] next speaker. >> [inaudible] taking the time. where to start? first of all this whole situation [inaudible] sensationalized by the media and the unbalanced coverage and especially telling when the most unbalanced coverage of any source and [inaudible] reported by the l.a. times and not by any bay area newspaper or tv

station and businesses try to blame the tough times on this but the reality that they say in politics is "it's the economy stupid". this is about legislating against those seen less than the ideal. you just read the comment and [inaudible] the chronicle, the comments on facebook. if everyone looked like a super model we wouldn't be here today. there are many people with clothes, behaviors that i don't like but i coexist with them or i turn my eyes or turn the other way. when it comes to [inaudible] owner who is against this and sells giant breasts for halloween near the toys. her windows are the most

sexualized on castro street and for the fair and this is clearly becoming an issue that nudism is confused with sexualism. it is also i believe proponents of the wild car and not far in the store before you see sexual items back in the store, so let's move beyond the hypocrisy and move beyond the fact that children aren't harm and let's oppose this proposed ban. it's far too reaching and will change in san francisco and gent triifiy it forever. >> thank you. thank you. next speaker. >> hi. i am ron and an artist in san francisco. i have been here over 20 years and on and off since i was ten, and there has been a lot of speech about people avoiding the castro, but there hasn't been talk about

the people that have chosen to live in the castro and drawn to the castro because of the fabric and character of the city which is an element of that is the nudity. the ban also is too broad. there needs to be a different solution to handle the complaints, so when i have a show in the castro that deals specifically with body image and body shame and human existence there are elements of that show that are going to be limited by a band that is too broad. people including my mother were thrilled when she came to san francisco and saw there were naked people wandering through. i don't think that my mother is that liberal, but every once in a while she sees something like that and it's why she also loves san francisco, so the concerns

about it driving people away are being off set by the people that are being drawn to the neighborhood for that character. thank you. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> yes. my name is lloyd and being a landlord in san francisco is kind of nice to feel -- i'm in agreement with mr. mecca. i am not a nudist. i lived here for 30 years. i do live in district eight. we have very regressive legislature here proposed by mr. weerner that is more for show than anything else. nude people are not causing a problem. they're only expressing themselves. i have

not experienced one act of lewdness there. if that's what you see then it's in your own head. as far as sitting in the seat and spreading your legs, called flaunting. it's actually being comfortable. if you take perspective on the issue, you look at the middle east where women are made to cover up and you look at europe where there are public nude spaces. indeed in parts of germany there are parts that are set aside for nudists. there is a river there and ride down the rubber tubes and at the end they get on the bus to ride down the river again, so this is part of our

puritanical moral heritage that causes nudity to be a problem and it's a problem in the people's own mind. i walk down the street all the time and see something that i don't like to look at but it's part of life. i voted for supervisor wiener. i'm not going to make that mistake again. [applause] >> next speaker. >> hi. my name is kelsey beyer and i just wanted to follow up on that gentleman's comment, two commenters ago, that said there are people who are drawn actually to the castro and to san francisco because of the tolerance that the city shows towards nudity and nudists and the human body in general, and i am one of those people. i came

here four years ago. i moved in 2008 after having visited the city only once, and my time in the castro i saw three new men on the street and casually interacting with each other, and it was really i guess eye opening and reassuring to me about the world, and i decided that this is where i should be, and i decided to move here based on the fact that i thought it was a city where i could be more tolerated and understood than anywhere else. i could imagine in the united states. and also i don't see how nudity is harmful for children to see. i feel like for myself i grew up with a catholic background and a certain amount of body shame and it has taken me years to get

over that, and to empbrace and love the body that i approved here in, and i feel that seeing the vast rage range of vareggs. >> >> of the human form is great and their body is okay and there is nothing wrong or criminal about it so i oppose this legislation as well. thank you. >> thank you very much. [applause] >> next speaker. >> supervisors, my name is tim mullins and the government affairs chair for the american association for nude recreation. i am a california resident and currently live in the sacramento area so i come to the bay area quite a bit. we have membership in san francisco of over 2,000 members, and the american association for nude recreation is opposed to your ordinance.

are you taking a drastic approach to a simple problem in a small area. we think that should be addressed by looking at your currently existing pliewd behavior laws. we oppose that legislation. >> thank you very much. are there any other -- if anyone else would like to make public comment please come forward. yes. human or alien. >> my name is paul. hello panel and i just wanted to say i lived in san francisco for 42 years and there is no other place i would love because of san francisco's style and its charm and its difference and diversity, and i just wanted to address the a forementioned to the sea long little merraid at the cast ro. i was there one morn when it was going on and nude people. it was a glorious san francisco day, and i couldn't have been prouder of

my city at that moment as i sat there and watched the healthy back and forth of families coming under ground and rush to see aerial and rushing past the naked people and everyday and so why we live in san francisco. i simply couldn't have been prouder. it struck me as extremely healthy and if you're concerned about the morals of your children discovering we're naked under our clothes maybe you shouldn't bring them to the theater on a saturday morning, and anyway i continue to be proud of my city, but unfortunately with this legislation it taxes one's patience and i am not in support of it. >> thank you very much. any other member of the public that would like to make public comment. next speaker please.

>> if there is anyone in the over flow room now is the time to come in. >> i am mickey jones and we very much support your legislation. what has been going through my mind and listening to these comments. 365 days a year organizations like glad and nclr, hrc. we try to convince most people in society that gay people are the same as everybody else except for the genders of our partners and i don't see this even though it's represented as such, as a gay issue. we are diverse as any population. we go to work. we pay bills. some are property owners. some are renders. we cover every religious background from all over the world so i find it somewhat offensive for this to be framed as a gay

issue and i don't find it as such. as a gay women we have children and grandchildren and we don't like seeing the naked guys in the castro and i appreciate what you're doing in pushing this legislation. thank you very much. >> thank you very much. next speaker. >> my name is susan thompson. i have lived on the edge of doris park and 20th street for 30 years. i support the legislation. an example -- more than once i of on castro street at my bank and encountered the naked people and i find it very objectionable. recently i wanted to catch the f streetcar and i walked up and real quick scan to see where not to look, and there was a naked man standing on the platform so hi to take the subway. just a

couple days ago i was walking past the castro theater and a mother and her little girl was there as a naked man approached us full on, and i sort of walked over in front of the child and the mother thanked me there are now naked people in dolores park and steps away from the play ground and now i have seen naked women as well. i think it's not a gay issue. it's a is she of civility. if you're a nude iftd go to a nude camp or beach or someplace. i don't care if you do that but don't walk around in the streets and make me look at it. thank you. >> thank you. next speaker. >> my name is don reynolds and i'm not a resident of san francisco. i am a resident of sunny valley. i came from

oregon in 62 to work and on the way down my dad gave me a talk. go to the tenderloin. that's a weird place or whatever so i didn't happen to tour there, but i now appreciate the diversity of san francisco and the comment -- well, that's the home of the fruits and nuts" and do something else. is there a camera here that i'm not looking at? up there. >> you can look wherever you want. >> okay. i want to call your attention from the issue of a parent in terms of body shame and that's the nudity part of this. it's just a small piece but it was mentioned in the whole thing and people who are afraid to have their kids see naked people. well, we all grow up nude when we start out and the whole issue is how do we approach this growing up? this book went through a study and

five years at least of groups that were grew up in a nudist home and swimming pools and versus another group that grew up in textile homes and followed the children through puberty andel doing with the opposite sex and young adults and found out they were more acceptance of the opposite sex and the nudity group and if people raising kids if i was starting over i would try to implement that. i wasn't able to because my boys are grown now and get in touch with the nature society and see if you can get it. thank you. >> thank you very much. any member of the public who wishes to make public comment? any additional? seeing none mr.

chairman may we close public comment. >> public comment is closed. >> i want to thank everyone that came out today on both sides of this issue, and i have said before, and i will say it again. this is -- and i hope everyone on both sides of the issue can acknowledge this is a difficult issue. this is not an issue that i sought. i did not wake up one morning and decide "hey i have a great idea. let's ban public nudity". this is an issue that developed over time and what some say is a real issue in the community. there are people i respect and like very much in the other side of this issue and it's always challenging in politics where people that you like and respect are on the other side, but i do believe this is the right way to proceed. it has been suggested that i somewhat about this for media attention or political gain. well, let me tell you i don't exactly like my name in

the media in the same article as cock rings and all sorts of other stuff. it's not why i did it. i do enormous work around transportation and housing and that is by far and a way what i prefer to be doing, but when you're a supervisor and an issue arising you can't bury your head in the sand and pretend it's not there. i did not rush into this. i waited two years to do this, and i believe it's the right way to proceed. i do want to address a few comments made about this being "a few people or a fall vocal group". that is just not accurate. one of the advantages or challenges, or however you want to phrase it and being a district supervisor and i am sure my colleagues will vouch for this. you hear every

conceivable perspective on every issue. people email you, call you and facebook you and express all the different views and while it's exhausting it's wonderful because you hear everything and sometimes you hear things that you never even thought of before, but it is an advantage of being in this position and i think that anyone who thinks it's just a small group of people or just a few people or it's not people in the castro is mistaken. there was reference to the 1500 people who signed the change .org petition that i know colleagues we all received. well, for the first thousand of the 1500 there was a setting that said where people were from and i actually looked at every single one of those to see where the people were from and kept an informal tally and 60% or 2/3 were not from